The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-12-08
Wlntering Bees.


This question is again before us, and
IN spite Of the assertion by one and an
other that it is no problen to them.
that they feel perfectly safe in winter
ing their bees, the question comes TO
many Of us with good deal of force,
How shall fix my bees SO as to carry
them safely through the winter Let
us look at some of tho requisites that
are consd Tered positively necessary to
successful wintering
l. Abundance of young bees, The
life of q worker bee is very short In
the height OF the honey harvest It is
found by experiment that the whole
population of the hive with the ex-
oeption of the queen) will be changed
in from six to eight weeks. Bees at
this time of the year do not die of old
age, but wear themselves out, or rath-
er, | think, they wear their wings out.
and there comes day when they will
load themselves up so heavily that
they fail TO return to the hive. We
often see the old bees with but stubs of
wings trying two or three times to
rise from the entrance on their out
ward flight before succeeding. During
the leisure of winter bees live much
longer, those Matched in September
and October living through to March
and April; so if we want to go into
winter with our bees in good condition
they must be raised during those
months, and if honey is not coming in
from the fields during that time, they
must be fed in order to encourage
brood rearing. The older bees will
die too soon in spring before enough
young ones are raised to keep up the
cluster and do the work of the hive.
3. Abundance of food, and that
readily accessible TO the bees. AS be-
fore stated. twenty or twenty-five
pounds of honey or syrup for each fair
sized colony, capped over before cold
weather sets in, is considered sufficient
for winter, and until bloom opens In
spring. In order that the bees may
make use of these stores there must be
some way provided whereby they may
shift their cluster without having to
pass round or under the frames. either
by cutting small holes half an inch or
more in diameter, through the combs
near the middle of the length and about
two or three inches from the top, or
by placing sticks across the top of the
frames an inch or so apart. provide
means for them to pass over, and 80
shift from one part of the hive to the
other. BY placing an inverted wooden
butter dish, such as the grocers use,
across the frames, clustering chamber
is formed, which the bees will take pos
session of and so gain access to the
frames over the top, and being enabled
to form a compact mass in the warmest
part Of the hive, save food and the wear
and tear consequent upon its conspmp-
ton in order I'd make the necessary
heat.
8. Limited space p The size of the
hive should be regulated according
to the size of the colony, by remov-
ing extra frames and contracting
the space with q division board,
so that the bees will be rather
crowded for room. and so have less
space to keep warm. The combs
should be spread little further apart
for winter than for brood rearing in
spring and summer, say one and three
fourth inches from centre to centre. in
stead of one and three -eights as is usual,
by that means allowing more of the
bees TO cluster together between them.
t. Good ventilation at the bottom of
The hire; that is, the entrance should be
kept clear and open, but no apDard
ventilation except so much as may pass
through three or four inches of chaff or
sawdust packing, which may be placed
over the bees to keep down the heat
Where openings are left above the bees.
either from a misplaced mat or illfiit-
ting cover, this causes draught of air
through the hive and consequently
great loss Of heat. which should be par
ticularly guarded aga nst. -FracticaI
Farmer.